Re: Installing Debian with only 64mb RAM

[Bob Proulx <bob@proulx.com>]

Celejar wrote:
> Reco wrote:
> > Linux's minimum requirement of 32 bits is really pushing the limit of
> > "embedded".
> 
> Your opinion, but you haven't provided any real source for your
> stringent definition.

It isn't completely black and white.  It is a gray scale.  But
generally by the time you get to use malloc() without thought is when
it is no longer an "embedded" system.  Having a full Linux kernel
available really pushes the definition of embedded.  Even if there is
"Embedded Linux".

> > As long as you can install additional software - it's not "embedded".
> > OpenWrt is the full-blown multipurpose OS. The real "embedded" system
> > consists of OS kernel and one single userspace program. And that's it.

I think OpenWRT is right on the line.  I find it very restricted.  But
at the same time it isn't writing an application in assembly.

> Okay, so you just basically disagree with the OpenWrt devs on the
> definition of embedded:
> 
> "OpenWrt is described as a Linux distribution for embedded devices."

I do have WRT54GL boxes that can install OpenWRT, Tomato, DD-WRT, and
the others.  But most of the WRT54G series had too little memory and
flash and couldn't install other firmware bundles.

It is a long gray scale.  It really isn't quite so black and white.

Bob